"The Stack" 5-26-17
The Stack is back on this Friday and as we head into the holiday weekend, we only have two things to talk about and that is the Cavs and Penguins winning last night. What a hockey game that was! Likely no blog on Monday so let’s get right to it in “the stack” for today, Friday, May 26th:
Cavs rout Celtics to advance to NBA Finals
Like the first two games in Boston, last night’s game in Boston was not even close as the Cleveland Cavaliers took it to the Celtics early and kept putting the pedal to the metal. The Cavs scored 75 points in the first half, the most points in a first half in the NBA Playoffs since the Dallas Mavericks put up 83 points against the Sacramento Kings back in 2003, as they rolled to a 135-102 victory. In route to the victory, LeBron James passed Michael Jordan for most points scored all-time in the NBA Playoffs. People seem so incensed by James and comparing him to Jordan, but he has passed him in this regard. He was hot from the field early on in the game and finished with 35 points. The Cavs were up by 16 points after one and 18 at the half. You may think that the Cavs got complacent or would coast coming out to start the third. Not so. They doubled up the Celtics 34-17 in the third and that was that. I’m surprised they even played the fourth quarter. The fact that the Celtics won a game in this series is incredibly surprising. They’ll get there eventually, but now is not their time. James can add to his legacy and creep closer to being the best player in NBA history if the Cavs can beat the Golden State Warriors in the NBA Finals. This will be the first time that the same two teams have met in the NBA Finals three years in a row. Game one is next Thursday, next Thursday??!! (yes, next Thursday), June 1st at 9 PM ET on ABC.
Penguins edge Senators in double overtime
There is almost nothing in sports better than a game seven, especially an NHL Playoffs game seven. Overtime in that game seven may take the cake and that is what we had last night in Pittsburgh as the Penguins and Ottawa Senators did battle until just shy of midnight eastern local time. That is when Chris Kunitz shot the puck and it appeared to be a knuckleshot as the puck turned over in the air past Senators goalie Craig Anderson who appeared to be screened by teammate Jean-Gabriel Pageau and the Penguins won 3-2 in double overtime. This was an incredible game. The Penguins broke open the game in the second period with the first goal of the game with a two-on-one that Kunitz put past Anderson, but the lead was short lived as Mark Stone took a beautiful pass by Erik Karlsson and got one up over Matt Murray to tie the game 1-1. The Penguins answered in the third period on the power play by Justin Schultz who had a razor slapshot get by Anderson, but the Senators would respond. Karlsson’s shot hit the post and Ryan Dzingel was in perfect position to put in the rebound to tie the game 2-2.
Overtime we would go and the pace of the first ten minutes of overtime especially was incredibly fast. Both teams were moving up the ice frantically with the Penguins getting more opportunities including two golden chances by Phil Kessel. His first shot went just wide of the net and he did have an opening past Anderson. His second chance hit off the crossbar and rolled on top of the net, but did not go in. At some point it felt like with all of the pressure the Penguins were putting on the Senators that the Senators would get one chance and make it count, but that didn’t happen in the first overtime period. And then in overtime number two, after the Senators came out and got a few more chances in the opening minutes, Kunitz took the pass from Sidney Crosby and knuckleshot the puck past Anderson, who was absolutely brilliant mind you, to send the Pens back to the Stanley Cup Final where they will face the Nashville Predators. The Penguins can become the first team since the Detroit Red Wings back in 1997 and ’98 to win back-to-back Stanley Cups. The Predators would seem to have a good chance had they played the Senators. Going against the Penguins is a much stiffer challenge.
Back to the Senators for a moment. They really showed me and I think a lot of hockey fans something in these playoffs. More guys like Bobby Ryan and Jean-Gabriel Pageau stepped up their games and Anderson was absolutely stellar in net and probably was the main reason the Senators even forced a game seven in the eastern conference finals. His 39 saves in game seven were incredible. Well done Senators. Well done. Game one of the Stanley Cup Final between the Nashville Predators and Pittsburgh Penguins is Monday at 8 PM ET on NBC.
Seahawks and Sherman
Before we go, this is quite the story on espn.com regarding the Seattle Seahawks and cornerback Richard Sherman. The article doesn’t paint Sherman in a good light. He says the article is nonsense. Perhaps some of it is, but there is no doubt there is some friction up in the Northwest and the chaos could eventually catch up to the Seahawks this season.
Coming up Monday or Tuesday: Reaction to top stories in sports…enjoy your Memorial Day holiday weekend
